Portrait Painting in Oils with Jane French
Learn from one of the UK’s most exciting portrait artists BOOK NOWWHEN:
Monday 16 – Friday 20 October 2023
TUTORS:
Jane French
VENUE:
Dartington Trust, South Devon
AGE SUITABILITY:
PRICING (Bursaries are available):
COURSE FEE
£620
(Or secure your place with a £150 deposit)
COURSE FEE PLUS ACCOMMODATION
£830
(Or secure your place with a £150 deposit)
About this course
On this immersive course, Jane uses practical demonstrations, one-to-one support and various exercises to guide you in developing portraits using oil paint.
You will start the week by experimenting with drawing – employing tonal values and playing with proportion, scale and composition – using a live model as your subject. This will be followed by palette preparation, colour-mixing and value work, as well as various brushwork techniques. The final stage of the course will move towards using photographs as reference and will further explore the use of colour and composition to create a fully finished piece.
By the end of the course, you will have developed your knowledge and awareness of drawing techniques, anatomy of the head, paint mixing and application, and composition.
on this course you will
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Learn techniques including basic handling of the medium, colour-mixing, principles of drawing, working with tonal values, considering composition and expressive mark-making.
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Progress to using vibrant colour and mark-making to create a final portrait-based artwork using your own photographs as reference.
what participants said about this course
“The painting tuition was what I came for and it was everything I could have hoped for. Also the camaraderie in our group and of course the wonderful food. Discovering the Dartington Estate was an added bonus, it was a lovely place to stay. So many highlights.”
“Inspiring teacher and a lovely group of students supporting each other in the peaceful energies of Dartington Hall.”
“Coming to a residential course is a wonderful experience all round, a relaxing and enjoyable holiday and an opportunity to immerse myself in what I want to do, which is lots of painting, with really helpful tuition.”
typical schedule for short courses
- Check-in to the room is between 3-3.45pm on the day of arrival. Check-out is 11am on the day of departure, although if travelling by public transport, luggage can be left at the Welcome Centre until the course has completed.
- Teaching generally begins at 4pm on the first day and ends at 2pm Fridays or 4pm Sunday (whichever is the last day of the course).
- The daily timetable can start at 9.30am and end around 9.15pm, with free time available at set times throughout the day.
- For residential participants breakfast is included, followed by a morning gathering and community work groups on weekdays, which are open to all participants and the college community. Non-residential participants can pay extra if they wish to have breakfast on one or more of the days.
- Lunch for all participants is between 1-2pm and supper is 6.30-7.30pm (both meals are included in the residential and non-residential course fee).
If you have any questions about your course schedule please contact shortcourses@dartington.org
what to bring
- Bring your own photographs of friends and family
- Comfy shoes
- Notebook
- Apron
- Warm clothes
- Outdoor coat
- Torch
TUTORS
Jane French
Jane is a professional artist specialising in portraiture. She has more than ten years’ experience as a tutor and has worked at various arts and educational institutions around the UK.
She completed a BA degree in Fine Art at Newcastle University and an MA in Design at DMU, Leicester. She has shown work at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the Royal Society of Oil Painters Exhibitions. She is a member of the Leicester Society of Artists and the Contemporary British Portrait Painters (CBPP).
OUR LEARNING COMMUNITY
Our courses are part of the wider Learning programme at Dartington, and you will join a community of students on site studying at Schumacher College and Dartington Arts School as well as other short course participants, volunteers and visitors.
While you are here we invite you to take part in our learning community life by attending morning meetings, taking part in activities such as meal preparation and clearing, and evening social events. This is entirely voluntary, but participants tell us that taking part adds to their experience at Dartington.
accommodation
We recommend that if possible, you stay on-site during your course. All our courses are best experienced holistically: through studying, relaxing, eating and staying with other course participants, volunteers, staff and tutors.
When you book your course with accommodation this includes one of our hostel-style single rooms with shared facilities and easy access to your main learning space. They are the perfect base to rest your head, relax and recharge. You can find out more about the rooms here.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included throughout the duration of the course, each made with fresh, locally-sourced produce by our award-winning team.
Accommodation is available at a discounted rate for course attendees, and on a first come, first served basis only. Choose this option by selecting ‘Course Fee Plus Accommodation’ at checkout.
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optional: upgrade to a courtyard room
It is also possible, subject to availability, to upgrade your accommodation to a single or double en-suite bedroom in our beautiful and historic courtyard. Upgrade pricing is as follows:
For courses starting before 1/9/2023
- Single room with en-suite bathroom: additional £27.25 per night
- Double room with en-suite bathroom is an additional £43.60 per night
For courses starting on or after 1/9/2023
- Single room with en-suite bathroom: additional £31.07 per night
- Double room with en-suite bathroom is an additional £49.70 per night
If you would like to upgrade, please first book with residential option included, and then contact our Guest Services team on 01803 847150 or email guestservices@dartingtonhall.com to check availability. Our Guest Services department is open daily, 8am–8pm.
Should you decide to upgrade to our en-suite accommodation, please be aware that this is 20 min walk, or 3 min drive, to the Old Postern site, where some of our courses are held. There is car parking available near to all venues on the estate.
OPTIONAL: STAY ON OUR CAMPSITE
You may like to stay on our beautiful and relaxing campsite, amidst the stunning rolling hills and ancient woodlands of Dartington. Find out more about the campsite here.
Should you decide to stay on the campsite, please be aware that this is 10 min walk, to either Schumacher College or Dartington Hall, where our courses are held. There is car parking available near to all venues on the estate.
Book now
Begin your online booking below. You will receive an e-ticket for this event. You are welcome to email us at shortcourses@dartington.org or call us at 01803 847008 with any queries you have. Full Short Course T&Cs can be found here >
If you place a deposit, you will be contacted by us four weeks before the course start date to pay the outstanding balance. You will also be contacted with full details about the course before you arrive.
Please note that in most cases bookings for all our Short Courses close at midday on the Thursday before the course begins. This enables us to give you the best possible course experience and ensures all bookers receive the relevant course materials before they arrive.
